Whether you are a first-time or a long-time gardener, now is your chance to make a real difference — grow an extra row of food this summer to help those in need.

Patients at the UCHealth Family Medicine Center Food Pantry in Fort Collins are encouraging neighbors to grow an extra row in their gardens this summer, directly supporting the pantry’s effort to meet local food needs.

“Our Grow a Row project aims to increase fresh produce donations to the pantry by 5% over last year’s nearly 3,000 pounds,” said Elizabeth Morgan, nurse and population health project coordinator at the Family Medicine Center.

Starting March 2, pick up your free seeds at the pantry, 1025 Pennock Place, Suite 109, in Fort Collins. Anyone can join the “Grow a Row for the Community” initiative and pick up a free seed packet while supplies last.

“This is a reach-across-the-fence concept,” said Kat Holiday, who lives in Eaton, Colorado, and serves on the Family Medicine Center’s patient and family advisory council. Growing up, she remembers reaching over the fence to offer her neighbors an extra squash or zucchini from her family’s garden, and her neighbors doing the same.

“We used to do these things naturally,” Holiday said. “Our council said, ‘We’ve had enough.’ No matter what side of the fence you’re on, you can still make a difference. Take that effort. Make that reach.”

Holiday, a filmmaker and musician, said she serves on the council to give back to the Family Medicine Center, which has supported her health care needs for over 30 years. She also needed the pantry a few times since its inception in 2017. She appreciated that it was a safe, nonjudgmental place to get healthy food.

And she’s not alone in having experienced food insecurity. In 2025, the pantry distributed 416,544 pounds of food and 15,804 pounds of hygiene, household, and pet products during 19,740 visits — over 3,300 more visits than in 2023.

Partnerships with community organizations help stock the pantry shelves, as well as food purchased through grants.

In 2025, community partners donated:

• Nearly 9,000 pounds of food from Sprouts.
• Nearly 26,000 pounds of food from Safeway.
• Over 2,000 pounds of pet food from Animal Friends Alliance.
• 20,000-plus pounds of food from individuals.
• Almost 67,000 diapers and more than 1,400 packages of wipes from the Food Bank for Larimer County’s Nappie Project.

In 2025, grants helped the pantry purchase:

• Over 1,800 gallons of whole milk.
• more than 1,000 quarts of non-dairy milk.
• Almost 25,000 pounds of produce.
• 48 pounds of rice and beans.

The FMC Food Pantry is open to the community, but many patrons also receive health care through the Family Medicine Center. Daily in 2025, FMC served about 99 households, consisting of 336 individuals.

The food pantry was established in 2017 when the Family Medicine Center leaders recognized food insecurity among their patients. Their goal was to make health care services and nutritious food available in a single visit. The pantry allows clients to choose items they want and accommodates each client’s dietary restrictions, whether for health or personal reasons.

“Large things come from humble beginnings,” Holiday said, adding that she hopes each year the Grow a Row effort, just like the produce in her garden, flourishes to be a force to support the needs of neighbors across the fence.

The pantry is open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday. The pantry is closed on Friday.

When your clean crop is ready for donation, bring it directly to the pantry. No donation is too small.